Qingyang Temple

Qingyang Temple is one of the most famous Taoist temples in China. The temple is conveniently located in the Sichuan Province in the northwest part of Chengdu.

Qingyang Temple in Chengdu was originally built during the rule of the Tang Dynasty from 618-907. This was also the period when Taoism was flourishing. Most parts of the temple that do remain today are restorations from the Qing Dynasty which ruled from 1644-1911. Some of these include the Sanqing Hall, Doulao Hall, Hunyuan Palace, the Eight Trigrams Pavilion, and Wuji Palace.

The most magnificent piece of architecture is the Eight Trigrams Pavilion among all the other buildings. The Eight Trigrams Pavilion was built on square foundations and has a coloured glazed dome on top. The building is octagonal and reflects the ancient Chinese philosophy which says that "the sky is round and the earth is square". There are eight pillars with dragons drawn in relief in the corridor. Colourful caissons symbols of eight trigrams are ornately arranged across its ceiling.

The altar of the Sanqing Hall features two bronze goats that are eye catching and which are believed to have been taken from Beijing during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. One of the goats looks really strange with a mouse's ears, an ox's nose, a tiger's claw, a rabbit's mouth, a dragon's horns, a snake's tail, a horse's face, a goat's beard, a monkey's neck, a chicken's eyes, a dog's belly and a pig's thighs.

The Qingyang Temple features a number of important exhibits of Taoist cultural relics which are on display. Some of the exhibits include the wooden engraving of the Dao Zang Ji Yao (Abstract of Collected Taoist Scriptures) and the stone sculpture of Patriarch Lu Dongbin, who was one of the Taoist Immortals in Chinese History.

If you roam around the temple complex you will come across a number of locals and visitors eating, drinking tea, and playing Mahjong at the temple's teahouse. Playing Mahjong is a popular pastime for the people of Chengdu. If you have some spare time you could surely join the locals for a pleasurable afternoon at the teahouse. This is an excellent way to experience life in China off the beaten track. The temple is open from 8AM till 6PM every day.